This invention relates to electric motor packaging and particularly to fractional horsepower motors with a shaft extension in a package accommodating and restraining movement of the motor with a minimum of packaging material.
Small, fractional horsepower motors have been normally packaged in a corrugated carton of rectilinear configuration with the enclosed space not conforming in any respect to the motor and shaft configuration other than by the six surfaces (top, bottom, two sides, and two ends) of the completed carton. This has normally meant that one or more additional packaging elements have been required to be placed within the carton in order to restrain axial movement of the motor so the shaft does not penetrate an end wall.
For example, an insert such as a cylindrical collar is often used around the shaft with its ends bearing against and spacing the motor frame from the end wall.
It is also the case that normally the carton bottom is formed by flaps extending from the end and side walls with the side wall flaps meeting in the middle and being stapled together with the flaps of the end walls. This manner of joining the bottom of the carton leaves it susceptible to damage by the weight of the motor on the bottom surface thus requiring the use of an additional liner element which is a flat piece of packaging material conforming to the entire bottom as well as the sides and top surfaces of the carton. The cost and assembly time of such carton elements as have been heretofore used is sought to be minimized while improving upon the overall strength of the assembled carton.
The present invention provides a motor in a corrugated carton that is folded from a unitary piece of corrugated packaging material with a unitary bottom surface that does not require stapling or other fastening and is continuous and directly joined to the side surfaces so that an additional liner is not required. Furthermore, one end of the carton is provided with a flap joined at a side edge with one of the side portions, a second flap joined at a part of the side edge with the other of the side portions and the second flap is disposed inwardly and bonded to the first flap. The second flap has a shoulder portion joined to its lower edge with the shoulder extending substantially parallel to the top and bottom portions and joined to a downwardly extending wall portion which is joined to a support portion folded back under the shoulder portion and bonded to the bottom portion so that the wall limits axial movement of the motor frame while the configuration of the wall and shoulder is such that the shaft extends over the shoulder but is not allowed to reach the end surface of the box.
A degree of versatility is provided because the other end of the carton is provided by flaps from the bottom and side portions in a manner that permits the formation of a fold in the flap extending from the bottom portion so that when folded over it provides a greater thickness between the motor frame and that end wall or the flap may be left in its unfolded condition to provide greater clearance within the space enclosed by the carton.
It is preferable to avoid the use of staples or other mechanical fasteners by the use of adhesive bonding between adjacent carton flap surfaces for greater convenience in assembly and strength in the resulting package. Other purposes and advantages of the package motor in accordance with the present invention will be apparent from the following description.